5.  The applicant was born in 1934 and lives in Ismayilli.
6.  The applicant worked as a director of the Ismayilli Region Forestry (İsmayıllı meşə təsərrüfatı), which was an enterprise under the control of the Azerbmeşe Production Union (“Azərbmeşə” İstehsalat Birliyi), a state authority responsible for administration of forests. In May 2001 he fell ill for a short time and was hospitalised from 21 May to 7 June 2001.
7.  On 23 May 2001, while the applicant was in hospital, he was dismissed from his job by an order of the Azerbmeşe Production Union.
8.  On 23 May 2001, on the same day that the applicant was dismissed from his job, the Azerbmeşe Production Union was liquidated by the Presidential Decree on Establishment of the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources of the Republic of Azerbaijan.
9.  The Statute of the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (“Ministry of Environment”), approved by a presidential decree of 18 September 2001, vested it with the duty to implement activities in the field of use, restoration, creation and protection of forests.
10.  In accordance with the Cabinet of Ministers' resolution of 16 October 2001, enterprises and organisations previously under control of the liquidated Azerbmeşe Production Union, including the Ismayilli Region Forestry, were transferred to the Ministry of Environment.
11.  In the meantime, the applicant filed a lawsuit against the Ministry of Environment, as the legal successor of the Azerbmeşe Production Union, arguing that his dismissal had been unlawful. By a judgment of 20 August 2001, the Narimanov District Court upheld the applicant's claim. The court noted that Article 79 § 1 of the Labour Code prohibited an employer from dismissing an employee from his job during his or her temporary inability to work, which included temporary illness and hospitalisation. The court ordered the applicant's reinstatement in his job as the director of the Ismayilli Region Forestry. The court also granted the applicant's request to leave the issue of material and moral compensation open.
12.  No appeals were filed against the judgment of 20 August 2001 and it entered into legal force.
13.  On 12 December 2001 the Minister of Environment issued an order on liquidation of regional forest authorities, including the Ismayilli Region Forestry.
14.  On 31 January 2002 the Narimanov District Court issued a writ of execution which, on 14 February 2002, was sent to the Ministry of Environment through the Narimanov District Department of Judicial Observers and Enforcement Officers (Nərimanov rayon Məhkəmə Nəzarətçiləri və Məhkəmə İcraçıları şöbəsi; hereinafter the “Narimanov Department of Enforcement Officers”).
15.  On 20 February 2002 the Ministry of Environment informed the Narimanov Department of Enforcement Officers that, upon the reorganisation of the Ministry, the Ismayilli Region Forestry had been liquidated on 12 December 2001 and that, therefore, it was not possible to reinstate the applicant in his previous job.
16.  By a letter of 25 February 2002, the Ministry of Environment also informed the applicant of the impossibility of the judgment's execution.
17.  On 10 May 2002 the writ of execution was returned to the Narimanov District Court.
18.  On 1 May 2003 the applicant was hired as an economic manager (təsərrüfat müdiri) at the Ismayilli Enterprise for Forest Protection and Restoration (İsmayıllı Meşə Mühafizəsi və Bərpası Müəssisəsi) of the Ministry of Environment. On 1 December 2003 he was dismissed from this job upon his own request.
19.  In the meantime, the applicant wrote numerous letters to the Ministry of Justice, the President's Office, the Ombudsman, the Parliament, and the Constitutional Court, complaining about non-enforcement of the judgment of 20 August 2001. These letters were forwarded to the Department of Judicial Observers and Enforcement Officers of the Ministry of Justice (Azərbaycan Respublikası Ədliyyə Nazirliyinin Məhkəmə Nəzarətçiləri və Məhkəmə İcraçıları İdarəsi – “Ministry of Justice”). In its similar reply letters of 16 May 2002, 4 July 2002, 30 November 2002, 23 July 2003 and 5 June 2004, the latter informed the applicant that, due to the impossibility of execution of the judgment of 20 August 2001, the writ of execution had been returned to the Narimanov District Court. The applicant was, therefore, advised to apply to this court in order to re-institute the enforcement proceedings.
20.  The case was subsequently transferred to the Yasamal District Court, as the Ministry of Environment was located under the territorial jurisdiction of that district court. On 4 April 2004 the Yasamal District Court issued a new writ of execution, instructing the Yasamal Department of Enforcement Officers to proceed with the enforcement of the judgment of 20 August 2001.
21.  By a letter of 23 July 2004, the Ministry of Justice, noting the impossibility to reinstate the applicant to his previous job, requested the Ministry of Environment to provide the applicant with a similar job adequate to his professional qualification.
22.  On 3 September 2004 the Ministry of Justice informed the applicant that, due to impossibility of the judgment's execution, the Yasamal Department of Enforcement Officers had returned the writ of execution to the district court.
23.  On 11 November 2004 the Ministry of Justice, noting that the matter had still not been resolved, again requested the Ministry of Environment to comply with the judgment and provide the applicant with another job in accordance with Article 74 of the Labour Code. It appears that the Ministry of Environment did not respond to this request.
24.  In early 2005 the Ministry of Environment filed a petition with the Narimanov District Court, requesting that the period for filing an appeal against the judgment of 20 August 2001 be restored. At the time of the latest communication with the parties, the petition was pending before the domestic courts following a series of appeals.